Letter to Lord David Cameron,
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs,
King Charles Street,
London,
SW1A 2AH
Dear Lord Cameron,
Subject – Urgent Action to Address Acute Hunger and Starvation, and Death, and To Avert Full-blown Famine in Tigray, Ethiopia
1. We, the Mekete Tigray UK – an independent community association of UK citizens and residents of Ethiopian Tigrayan origin – are writing this letter as an urgent plea in response to the devastating starvation and famine-like conditions currently happening in Tigray.
2. It’s been three years since the onset of the Tigray genocidal war and more than a year since the signing of the Pretoria Peace Agreement known as the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA). However, hunger and starvation is used as a silent weapon, exacerbating the suffering of children, the elderly and the ordinary people of Tigray.
3. Over 2 million are Internally Displaced, unable to return to their homes. There is a continuing occupation of Tigrayan territories by Eritrean and Amhara forces, contrary to the Pretoria Agreement. Furthermore, the suspension of humanitarian assistance for the last ten months by the World Food Programme and USAID has exacerbated the existing catastrophic humanitarian crisis resulting in the deaths of thousands from starvation. Recently, the humanitarian situation in Tigray has been described as ‘in meltdown’. Relatives report that two families receive 15 kilos of grain to sustain them for two weeks.
4. Despite the Cessation of Hostility Agreement signed in November 2022, Tigray remains under siege. Ethnic cleansing and starvation as a weapon, continues unabated. The CoHA states the Constitutional boundaries of Tigray are respected but Western Tigray is currently annexed and administered by the Amhara forces and the Eritrean Army forces remain killing people in the area. Systematic demographic engineering continues in parts of Tigray where people from other regions of Ethiopia have replaced Tigrayans, dispossessing them and putting them at heightened risk of starvation.
5. The Eastern Tigray region, inhabited by the endangered nationality of Irob people, is now under the control of Eritrea, claiming the Irob region belongs to Eritrea. Therefore, no food or medicine reaches the people of Irob.
6. While (World Food Programme (WFP) launched a ‘comprehensive investigation’ for the food aid suspension, this action worsened the suffering in Tigray. The BBC and Forbes reported that 1,400 people starved to death between May and August 2023 when food aid was interrupted. Currently, 5.2 million are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance, including 2.3 million children, yet food aid is not arriving. With that insight, the WFP’s ‘Zero hunger by 2030’ is an insult to those who silently perish in Tigray.
7. There have been various voices about the situation. Lord David Alton tried to raise his concerns with Lord Ahmed in July, in the House of Lords, but no action was taken. Similarly, Sir Mark Lowcock has been trying to raise the alarm about starvation and war crimes in Tigray for the past 2 years.
8. We are writing this letter to you as a matter of urgency, to request that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office discuss the dreadful consequence of Food Aid suspension. There is an immediate need for emergency famine relief across Tigray. We urge the UK Government, given its economic, financial and diplomatic leverage, to pressurise the Ethiopian government to adhere to the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement so that some lives can be saved and people can return to their homes and farm their lands, that is if they ever survive the grim situation.
9. We also ask that the UK Government, in particular the FCDO, respond to the UK Tigray Inquiry Report. We have read The RT Hon Andrew Mitchell’s, response to the UK Tigray Inquiry report sent to him by Lord David Alton. The report described, Tigray suffered the world’s deadliest war of this century. Given the gravity and depravity of the human rights abuses detailed in the report, we are disappointed by the government’s response. Almost every Tigrayan community in the UK lost more than one family member and or friends in this genocidal war.
10. As a conclusion to our letter, we strongly urge and plead the UK Government, the FCDO and International Aid Agencies:
a) To urge and immediately help to mobilise, humanitarian emergency assistance to address the catastrophic crisis to avert a full-blown famine in Tigray;
b) To urge and press the Ethiopian Government to allow the millions of the Internally Displaced Tigrayans return to their homes and farmsteads;
c) To urge and press the Ethiopian Government to fully implement the Pretoria Peace Agreement by asking the Amhara Regional Forces and the Eritrean Army to leave Tigray so that the IDPs can return to their homes in peace and security.
11. We enclose the UK Tigray Inquiry report below which you will find as invaluable information. We believe your Lordship would understand our appeal and request. Your Lordship would therefore facilitate an urgent action for which the dire situation in Tigray requires. We have attached below a hard copy of this email. We thank you and look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely,
Mekete Tigray UK
(Community of Tigrayan Diaspora in the UK)
